Safety-guard for sleeping-cars



(No Modei.)

N. BROWN.

SAFETY GUARD FOR SLEEPING CARS.

No. 454,202. Patented June 16,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN BROIVN, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY-GUARD FOR SLEEPING-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,202, dated June 16, 1891.

Application filed March 23, 1891. Serial No. 386,111. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern; 7

Be it known that I, NATHAN BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, Alameda county, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Safety-Guards for Sleeping-Car Berths; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a device which I term a safety-guard for sleeping-car berths, and it is especially applicable to the upper berths of sleeping-cars for the purpose of preventing the occupants from falling out by reason of the swaying of the cars or from other causes.

It consists of 'an adjustable net or webbing, with a means for applying it or packing it out of the way, and in certain details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a berth, showing the application of my device. Fig. 2 is a transverse section showing the device in place. Fig. 3 shows the manner of rolling it up when out of use.

When cars are traveling at high speed or over rough roads or Where there are sharp curves, the swaying motion is often so violent that it is difficult for the occupant of the upper berth in a sleeping-car to maintain his position in the berth, and when children are placed in the upper berth it is a source of continual anxiety for fear they will roll out.

My invention is designed to provide a safe and convenient guard which is easily applied and removed and has a permanent attachment to the berth.

A is the upper berth of a sleeping-car, constructed in the usual or any suitable manner, and B is the curtain-rail extending along in front and above the upper part of the berth. In the lower front portion of the berth and close to the front edge are fixed two journal-boxes O at each end of the berth, and within these journal-boxes the shaft or roller D is journaled to turn freely. Around the central portion of this shaft awebbing or flexible netting E, of any suitable or desirable construction, is rolled, the shaft being high enough from the bottom of the berth and far enough from the front of it to allow all the webbing being rolled upon it. hen unrolled, the webbing is of sufficient width to extend as high as is necessary in front of the berth to insure perfect safety to the occupant, and has a sufficient length for the same purpose. bing straps F extend and have upon their ends hooks of any suitable construction, which may be similar to the hooks now in use upon the curtains, whichextend through the carwhen'the berths are made up. .These books clasp the upper curtain-rail, and thus keep the Webbing properly extended. Just outside the ends of the Webbing the straps or webbing G are coiled around the shaft from the opposite direction to the webbing E..

These straps G are long enough so that when the guard-webbing is extended and hooked up to the curtain-rail they will extend up to a suitable distance between the top and bottom of the berth,and they are connected with each end of a rod. or bar H.

Upon the central strap of the guard-webbing is fixed a hook I, and after the guard Webbing has been unrolled and connected with the curtain-rail above the bar H is drawn up, thus acting through the straps G to turn the roller and stretch the guard-webbing as tight as may be necessary when the rod H is attached to the hook I on the central strap of the guard-rail, and it thus takes up the slack, holds the latter in position,and prevents its being further unrolled or bulging out too far in case any weight is thrown upon it.

If the occupant desires to get out of the berth at any time, it is only necessary to unhook the straps of the guard-rail from the curtain-rail and allow the guard-webbing to fall down over the edge of the berth, when the occupant can get out and in at will.

WVhen the guard is to be rolled up for the purpose of making up the berth, by pulling upon the bar or rod H the straps G will be pulled out and unrolled from the shaft D, the shaft being at the same time rotated so that the guard-webbin g will be rolled upon it from the opposite direction. When the guardwebbing has been rolledu p closely, the straps with the hooks on are simply folded into the berth, and the strapsG and rod H are also laid in upon the mattress and the bedcloth- From the upper edges of the Web ing packed in the usual way, so that the berth can be shut up and the ear prepared for its ordinary day use. By this constructionI provide a simple and convenient guard for the upper berths of sleeping-cars.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A roller journaled in the berth and a flexible material wound thereon and provided with fasteners adapted to engage a fixture at or near the top of the berth to form a safetyguard for the occupant of the berth, substantially as herein described.

2. A roller journaled in the berth and a plurality of webbings or straps adapted to be wound upon the same, fasteners on one of the webbings or straps adapted to engage the curtain-rail, and means for securing the webbings to each other to maintain a tension upon the guard-webbing, substantially as herein described.

3. A guard for the upper berths of sleeping-cars, consisting of the flexible webbing or netting, a roller journaled in the front portion of the berth, upon which the webbing may be rolled up when out of use and from which it may be unrolled for use, straps with hooks or clasps to engage the curtain-rail at the top, and other straps coiled around the shaft in the opposite direction from the guard-webbing, having the connecting-rod 1-1 and the hooks I, to which this'rod may be attached to retain the proper tension upon the guard-webbing, substantially as herein described.

4. A guard for the upper berths of sleeping-cars, consisting of the flexible webbing or netting, a roller or shaft journaled in the front portion of the berth, upon which said web bing may be coiled, and straps wound around said shaft in the opposite direction, having the rod connecting then1,-said straps serving to maintain a tension upon the webbing when in position and to coil it up on its shaft when disengaged, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I hzwe hereunto set my hand.

NATHAN BROWN. Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, J. A. BAYLEss. 

